Change the world. Together.

How UBS Collectives can help you solve the planet's biggest challenges – UBS Collectives

What can one person do?

Imagine digging a tunnel by yourself. Not only might it take years, as you dig deeper, the work would get trickier and riskier. Now picture a group of people working together. Each has different tools and skills. Some have shovels, others have excavators. Some are engineers, others, support structure specialists. With everyone working together and playing to their strengths in a coordinated way, the team quickly breaks through to the other side.

That's what happens when you join a collective. In philanthropy, a collective is a network of like-minded people and organizations working together on a cause, such as fighting poverty, climate change, inequality, or inadequate healthcare and education.

The members collaborate and combine their resources and skills towards solving an issue close to their hearts. The result? A united force with the power to make the world a better place.

How do you join a collective? UBS Collectives makes it easy. So, if you only do one thing today, do this: read on. Because you're about to discover how you can change a problem for good.

Hear about the power of collective philanthropy from Tom Hall

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Ways to change the world

Three ready-made collectives for you to choose from

UBS Collectives brings you a choice of ready-made collectives focused on issues we're well placed to solve with you. Whichever you choose, you'll be joining a global network of philanthropists, experts and organizations who want to tackle an issue as much as you. By working together and combining your efforts, skills, and resources, you'll achieve more than could ever be possible alone.

UBS Climate Collective

Building coastal resilience

Climate change threatens all life on earth. Unless we act urgently, we’ll face an ever-growing threat of environmental catastrophe. Solutions that work exist! And some of these promising solutions lie in the coastal areas, which also happen to be some of the most affected areas. Only by collaborating radically with a razor-sharp focus can we bring them to the scale we need to mitigate the effect of climate change and build resilient livelihoods. As part of the UBS Climate Collective, you’ll be working to:

  • Support nature-based solutions that reduce and remove carbon emissions from the atmosphere;
  • Build blue carbon markets worldwide. Blue carbon markets sell ‘credits’ in nature-based solutions to governments and businesses seeking to offset their carbon emissions. Their success will promote the rapid growth of nature-based solutions and investments in climate;
  • Enable communities to adapt to climate change and create sustainable livelihoods; and
  • Protect and restore biodiversity worldwide.

UBS Transform Collective

Raising children in loving families

Every child requires a safe, stimulating home and stable, caring relationships to thrive. Populations who have experienced multiple disadvantages, such as children in institutional care, are at heightened risk of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The consequences of such circumstances for children are life-long, are well documented, and include exposure to toxic stress, increased risk of physical and sexual violence, abuse and neglect, exploitation and trafficking. Through the UBS Transform Collective, we support marginalized children in extreme poverty in the global south, especially girls and children with disabilities, facing heightened risks of adverse experiences due to family separation, extreme exploitation, or trauma experienced in institutional care. As part of the UBS Transform Collective, you'll be working to:

  • Enable vulnerable children to grow up safely in nurturing families and communities.
  • Reduce long-term risks associated with early childhood adversity and disadvantage, leading to better health, educational and socio-economic outcomes.
  • Build resilient families by empowering parents with the tools and connections needed to overcome challenges.
  • Create stable communities by fostering strong social connections and ensuring access to necessary support.

UBS Accelerate Collective

Investing in children's health, education, and the planet they live in

Every child deserves the opportunity to blossom into a well-rounded, healthy adult – equipped with everything they need to thrive in life. But millions of vulnerable children suffer from a lack of access to quality healthcare, education, and environment. Too often, they face a life spent struggling with poor health, poverty and difficulty finding work. Solutions that work exist, but we need to make them more sustainable. As part of the UBS Accelerate Collective, you'll be working to:

    • improve the health and education of disadvantaged children worldwide and preserve the planet where they live;
    • create a system where innovative ‘social finance’ investments will soon become the first choice for individuals and organizations seeking to solve social and environmental issues. Social finance is a type of investment that gives a vital financial boost to solutions whilst recycling the returns from investment capital, thereby multiplying the effect of your financial contribution. You'll be helping make social finance mainstream, attracting the massive private and commercial investments needed to give children the healthcare, education, and environment they deserve; and
    • support social businesses – mentoring, training, and investing in social businesses to help them grow, achieve more impact, and take their solutions to the world.

    Why join our UBS Collectives

    Becoming a member of the UBS Collectives gives you the opportunity to embark on a fantastic learning journey with peer philanthropists and experts.

    Belong to a network that makes a big difference

    Why struggle to achieve your philanthropic goals alone? With UBS Collectives, you'll join a global movement, working with people who share your determination to solve an issue.

    By collaborating and sharing your resources and skills, you'll create a unified response with the power to change the world. UBS Collectives gives you access to:

    • a network of people invited by UBS – people like you who are united in their desire to make a difference
    • fellow philanthropists based locally and worldwide who you can reach out to for ideas and support
    • an international team of over 130 philanthropy experts at UBS who can help you get the best from your philanthropy.

    Access a learning experience that makes you a better philanthropist

    You'll have exclusive access to an unparalleled philanthropy learning experience – bringing you the knowledge, skills, confidence, and peer-camaraderie you need to maximize your impact.

    Becoming a member of the UBS Collectives provides you with a unique learning curriculum plus advice tailored to your needs including the opportunity to:

    • access and grow expert knowledge on philanthropy – from training on strategic philanthropy -
    • such as how to change systems, learn about best practices in designing, implementing and evaluating projects, and get insights into solving the issue you want to address;
    • improve your practical skills such as selecting partners for collaborations, assessing and vetting projects, and campaigning for change;
    • join an inspirational week-long Insights trip (at your own cost) where you’ll be able to see system change in action, deepen your expertise, and experience projects in person – and meet and learn from the people running them;
    • join conferences and seminars where you can learn from and advance the conversation with philanthropy experts and peers; and
    • work more closely with a philanthropy advisor to apply these learning to your personal philanthropy.

    Connect with powerful players and magnify your efforts

    UBS Collectives connects you to people, organizations and solutions with the power and influence to make your goals reality, including:

    • companies, academics, and specialists who can help maximize your impact;
    • government groups who set laws and policies relating to the issue you want to solve; and
    • opportunities to team up with best-in-class organizations, projects, funds, and social finance solutions that are vetted and approved by UBS. Your donation will be pooled with money from your fellow collective members, creating a combined financial force with the power to make an even greater impact. We'll also add an extra 10% to any amount you invest through the collective.

    Unite your family around shared values

    Experiencing philanthropy with other family members is a great way to bring your family closer together. UBS Collectives unlocks that opportunity, bringing you:

    • quality time with your family, working together on a cause that's close to your hearts;
    • a dedicated UBS team focused on supporting you and your family; and
    • advice on making the most of your philanthropy and managing other important areas of your family's wealth.

    We are the Climate Collective - a family on a journey together trying to make a difference in the world. - UBS Climate Collective member

    Ready to get involved?

    Your generous contribution will provide essential support to our UBS Collective programs, empowering communities and driving positive change. Here's what you can expect as a member:

    Member

    USD 100k/y

    Minimum yearly financial commitment paid upon joining – to be pooled with others and fund the programs on the ground. UBS adds a 20% match (25% if donation is made in 2024).

    Benefits:

    Access to a learning curriculum – with peer philanthropists including:

    • One-year foundational curriculum
    • Invitation to exclusive in-person events
    • Online gatherings and learning sessions
    • Personal support from philanthropy advisor to apply the learnings into your philanthropy
    • UBS Collectives insights trip: One week ‘in-the-field’ learning experience incl. project visit to see systemic impact in action (at your own cost)
    • Access to the Global Philanthropists Community online self-learning series

    Reporting

    • Bi-annual progress report
    • Online live Q&A sessions with experts and partners

    Social media assets – to communicate on your involvement to sort the issue

    Family members – option to include additional family members in the UBS Collectives - one included (extra family members for USD 25k per year)​

    Insights

    How our clients are pursuing their purpose by creating a better world

    A mother, cousin and son traveled to Africa to understand how their social impact investments as part of the UBS Acclerate Collective could move the educational needle in Ghana. They unexpectedly learned more about something also fundamental – who they are as a philanthropic family.

    Meet the Collectives

    Meet our UBS Transform Collective member, Neena Vaswani, Co-Founder of Prodigy Snacks, as she shares more on what she’s learning about impactful philanthropy and working with others to drive the change she’s passionate about - children being raised in loving families.

    How UBS Collectives can help you solve some of the planet’s biggest challenges

    Join our philanthropy experts and their clients in the US as they discuss the benefits of collective philanthropy and share personal insights and experiences on the benefit of joining forces with others.

    What your peers say...

    UBS Accelerate Collective member

    I came away with a deeper understanding of what we're all trying to achieve and the complexities in doing so. Very motivating.

    UBS Climate Collective member

    Seeing it, being here (on an insights trip in Vietnam, Ed.), experiencing it firsthand was really important. It was a game changing day.

    UBS Accelerate Collective member

    I had a brilliant time. Very insightful and inspiring. Professionally delivered with charm. Thank you for the invitation.

    UBS Accelerate Collective member

    I came to Ghana with a small idea of what impact was and up until now I gave with my heart. Congratulations to the UBS team because now I’m a convert to my mind coming first. My heart feels the problem. I know that by engaging my head I can make my money go further in addressing problems at scale.

    UBS Accelerate Collective member

    Thanks so much for all you did to make last week's UBS Accelerate Collective conference go so well. It was great to spend more time with the UBS team and other members of the collective. We learned a lot during those few days. The conference also challenged us to consider how and where we're investing and donating.

    UBS Accelerate Collective member

    This trip has restored my hope that there is a real investible pathway to solve problems at scale. I can see it now! Education felt so large and confusing before I came here. Seeing the hands-on work being done and the level of execution makes me very hopeful to reinvent the way we can see philanthropy.

    UBS Accelerate Collective member

    It was really helpful for me to learn more. Your help with the learning curve is very much appreciated.

    UBS Accelerate Collective member

    Rome wasn't built in a day and this carbon issue won't be solved in a day.

    Where next?

    You stand at a crossroads.

    One way takes you on a journey of trying to change the world on your own. The other takes you to a network of people and organizations that share your passion for making a difference. It's a place where you can combine your efforts, resources, and skills to create an unstoppable force for good.

    Why not come with us? There's so much we can do together.

    Take the first step.

    To find out more and join UBS Collectives, please contact your UBS client advisor or reach out to us through the link below.

    Contact us

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